Putin allowed new prisoner exchanges with the United States

Negotiations on the exchange of Viktor Bout and Brittney Griner were conducted through the special services, they are now ongoing, there is a possibility of new exchanges, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference of the EAEU.

“Negotiations in this case were led by the FSB. She negotiated, negotiated, achieved the results that you have just learned about. Contacts are ongoing. As a matter of fact, they never stopped through the special services. Are other exchanges possible? Yes, everything is possible. This is the result of negotiations and the search for compromises. In this case, compromises were found. We do not refuse to continue this work in the future,” he said.

Booth exchange for Greiner took place yesterday, December 8, at Abu Dhabi airport. Before the exchange, Greiner and Booth were pardoned, they will not have to serve their sentences in their countries. Bout returned to Russia yesterday, December 8, the plane he was on board landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo-2 airport around midnight. After returning to Russia, he expressed gratitude to the American side for the noble and respectful attitude during the exchange. According to his wife Alla, Bout now feels terrible and very exhausted, because he had not slept for three days before.

Bout was arrested in 2008 in Thailand at the request of Washington, he was charged with illegal arms trafficking and supporting terrorism. Bout spent 2.5 years in prison in Thailand, and then he was extradited to the United States, and in 2012 the court sentenced him to 25 years in prison. The Russian categorically did not admit his guilt.

Greiner, a basketball player, was detained in February 2022 at Sheremetyevo Airport after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her hand luggage. A criminal case was initiated under the article on drug smuggling, the Khimki court sentenced Greiner to nine years in a strict regime colony and a fine of 1 million rubles. In court, an American woman said that she used marijuana in the United States with the permission of doctors instead of an analgesic.

Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov emphasizedthat the exchange of Bout is not a sign of improving relations between the Russian Federation and the United States. These relations continue to remain in a sad state, he stressed, adding that the preparations for the exchange were carried out by the special services of Russia and the United States.